The Daughter of Poseidon

7. Isabel gives me some advice

I ran for ages until I reached the Poseidon Cabin. The place looked neat and tidy, but after I was done punching and kicking everything, it looked really messy. Tears fell down my face and clouded my vision. That's when I thought of something my mother had told me to never think about.

Committing suicide. Sure, it sounded harsh, but I was starting to feel like it was my only way out. I felt like I was living in a nightmare and I was trapped in it for all eternity. When I was done, I looked at the mess all around me. I had destroyed an entire cabin in anger.

All I could do was cry. I sat down on the front steps of the cabin, and cried. The only other sound I could hear was the water fountain inside the cabin. Even that wasn't making me feel better. My whole life had fallen apart. Ekiya had been right. I shouldn't have used that sword. All along, she had just been trying to warn me, yet I hadn't listened to her.

But she had been lying to me too! I just didn't know what to believe anymore. The only people in my life who cared about me either had died, betrayed me or been ripped apart from me. Life was so unfair.

After a while, the other campers started heading back to their cabins. Most of them glanced at me quickly before looking away. Ezen and Ekiya walked past me, too sad to talk to me. I suppose everyone thought I was a freak. I was just some girl who had wondered into their camp and nearly destroyed it in my rage.

And when Max and his siblings walked past, they all sent me a sympathetic gaze. They were actually starting to care about me. It was a miracle.
"Why me? Why couldn't it be someone else?" I kept asking myself, over and over again in my head.

I didn't know what I had done to deserve any of this. Had I murdered someone in some sort of past life or something? Did I do something to offend the gods? Or was it all because I had wielded that stupid sword? I knew it was the third option. Screw Hecate. Screw camp. Screw everything, I kept thinking. Nothing really mattered to me anymore.

Life didn't matter.
"Phoebe, don't be so hard on yourself. I know what it feels like." Confused, I looked up and stared into Isabel's eyes. Her blue eyes met mine, and she sat down next to me. I was too tired to push her away when she grabbed my hand.

"What do you want? Come to admit you're a liar too? Come to say you're sorry? It's not gonna change anything!" She sighed and gripped my hand tighter. Her hand felt so warm and gentle compared to Ekiya's. Sure, her hand was soft too, but Isabel's hand was softer.

"I know how you feel. It's a horrible feeling. They all lied to me once too. I hated them for ages. But I had to forgive them eventually. Otherwise, I could never move on with my life. It's something you'll have to do as well." I looked away from her and stared at the big house. How could I possibly forgive anyone?

"You think you're an outcast, don't you? You think that every single person who cared about you is gone. But you're wrong. Even if everyone at camp's a liar, you'll always have me. And trust me, Phoebe, I didn't know until capture the flag. The reason I talked to Ekiya was actually about an urgent matter on Olympus. It had nothing to do with you. I didn't even mention your name once to her."

Isabel continued. This news shocked me. I had been thinking that Isabel and Ekiya had been talking about the prophecy and how much of a freak I really was.

"Why did people lie to you? Why would anyone lie to you? You're a kind person."

"It all started when I got to camp a few years ago. I was only nine years old at the time. Hera claimed me one night, during capture the flag. And when I saw the symbol above my head, nobody seemed shocked or surprised. They looked like they were expecting this all along. So then I knew they had known who my real mother was all along. I felt betrayed. I considered taking my own life, but I never could. All because I had Ekiya. I was just like you once Phoebe. I understand your pain."